The Nok culture is one of the oldest civilizations in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is known only from terracotta figures sculpted in a highly sophisticated style, which were probably used in burial sites. This elegant head is a fragment of an entire figure. This object will appear in iAfrica: Connecting with Sub-Saharan Art, an exhibition organized at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, October 3, 2009 through April 5, 2010.
Sculpture information:
(sculpture title:) Head
Nok culture, Nigeria
5th century BC through 2nd century AD
Terracotta
Gift of funds from Darwin and Geri Reedy
Minneapolis Institute of Arts accession number: 2002.27.16